Install Windows 7 Over Windows 10

I recently purchased a new Latitude 5570 from Dell with windows 10 installed. I have attempted to load/play two games heroes of might and magic 3 & 5, but neither will play.
I would like to install windows 7 using a Dell OEM disk that came with another machine. Dell says I can but might have registration issues.

Is there a way to do this installation?
Secondly in a MS forum indicates I can find the 25 symbol product key in/on the installation disk, but doesn't indicate where to locate this key, where is it located?

 

An OEM (original equipment manufacturer) license is only valid for the hardware it was installed on by the builder/manufacturer.
The product key is tied to the PC motherboard which it’s initially installed on, and there is typically no transferring the key between PCs afterwards.
The alternative is to BUY a Win 7 OEM disk and dual boot with Win 10. Installing 7 over 10 would be sheer madness.
Why don't you seek help for those games regarding Win 10 on their developer sites or those games' forums.

 

I have just run the System Requirements Lab detection tool for Heroes of Might & Magic on my Win 10 and it tells me it's fine.
Go to system requirements lab page for that game and use the 'Can I Run it?' It will also give you a full report on all your hardware.

 

You can download a retail copy of W7 from Microsoft. When you have to enter the product key you will use the one from your other Dell. It will not work. Contact MS about this, telling them you want to download a copy of W7 but you have an OEM product key and this doesn't work, can they help ? They may not be cooperative, but they ARE able to send you or otherwise make available to you an iso of the W7 installation DVD for OEM issue. I'm not sure what you will do about drivers for the Dell hardware, maybe you can download then from the Dell website ?

Dumb_Question
5.March.2017

 

Let's not confuse this thread. The OP is considering using an OEM disk from a different piece of hardware. They can't do that.
It would breach MS T&Cs and wouldn't work anyway as they would be trying to use it on a different motherboard. And MS won't help. They will say 'buy a new licence'. That's why it's an OEM licence and not a 'retail' licence.
Aside from that the OP was considering installing 7 OVER 10 which would be a very bad idea.
Dual booting Win 7 and Win 10 is absolutely fine but it will NOT be free!
Better to leave it until the OP responds about what those Games developers say about Win 10.

 

Note the words "Dell says I can". However, they also about registration issues - this would be because of (essentially) potentially running the same OS simultaneously on different machines (or, illegal copying of software)

Dumb_Question
5.March.2017

 

OK this thread is getting derailed now unfairly before the OP has even seen responses.
It is sweet FA to do with Dell except for the actual hardware that has the OEM licence!
It is a MICROSOFT issue. It is MICROSOFT that determines what its licences are applicable to. An OEM licence (a fraction of the cost of a 'retail' licence) is for one piece of hardware PERIOD.

 

According to Dell's website, there are 4 options. Which package did you choose?

 

Max Turner, No I don't want both op systems running, just win 7, eradicating win 10.

Ok it eems like the answer is to buy a win 7 disk from MS and install, am I reading the generalized opinion?

 

Have you contacted Dell? It was an option for that laptop.

 

You can find an OEM version of W7 here:

https://1drv.ms/f/s!Aus47WpmlzFPgSpTAMgwUz11pB1y

You will need the key from the old machine. It may work, it may not...

 

Yes I contacted them today and they said they could not dl an OEM win 7 for this machine.

 

If you buy, or download from the mekanic's link, W7, I would not install W7 over W10. If this is possible, I would remove the W10 disk in case I ever needed to return the machnie to W10 operation, and insert a blank HDD in its place in the computer. Then install W7 on that from the DVD you would have (I am only giving a rough plan of attack here, and it's only a suggestion, an idea).

A few years ago, someone I know was supplied with a new machine with W7 on it, shortly after W7 was released. They needed XP to run legacy software, and it took a lot of communication with either the supplier or Dell to get (actually I think, XP and W7) what he needed.

However, I think, as Max said in his opening reply to your question bknight,

Dumb_Question
6.March.2017

 

@bknight ,

Another consideration is how your current hard drive is initialized. Because it came with Windows 10 installed, it's initialized as GPT. Windows 7 runs on MBR initialized disks. GPT disks started with Windows 8.0. So, to run Windows 7 on this computer, you'll need to swap out the hard drive for a new one and initialize it MBR then install a RETAIL version of Windows 7.

 

Why not format the HDD with win 7?

 

The splash window initializes then the program reduces to a smaller window(not full screen as it should) in the upper left corner, with not all that game window visible.

 

I could make a recovery disk copy of current HDD, then install win 7 keeping the back-up of win 10. Besides the game issue there is a permission issue, I am not able at this time to grant permissions in any folder in either program/program(x86) sub folders as I was able to do in win 7.

 

Format and initialize are two different things. GPT and MBR are also different as are UEFI (which is the way your Windows 10 computer is configured) and BIOS. While Dell says the Win 7 installation can be done, they don't say how. It's more involved than simply re-formatting the hard drive in Win 7 Setup and all the steps required could prove quite frustrating. I had to go through a lot of rigamarole to get my Dell Inspiron 15-5555 set up the way I wanted it.

 

Could you list some/all of the steps you had to perform?

 

The underlying issue was being able to play those games on a Win 10 OS. You have the choice to run your system on the System Requirements Lab detection tool for those very specific games. You can then read the full report to see if there is a part of your hardware that possibly wont support those games. You can also seek assistance from the many other players of those games using Win 8 or 10 on their forums. This system I'm posting from now is Win10, supports those games fully and is no where near a 'gaming' system.
Even considering buying Win 7 (mainstream support for which ended 2 years ago, and extended support ends Jan 2018) to install over and eradicate Win 10 is frankly IT madness but it's your system and if you want to go down that road, it's your choice. But dual booting, if Win 7 really is needed, is the sensible option.

 

Is this a part of Win 10? You have mentioned it twice and I'm not familiar with it. BTW this is not the only issue with win 10. I understand that support will end for win 7, but until win 10 meets all my requirements then 10 is not very friendly to me.

 

The only issue you raised in this thread was playing those games on Windows 10. Why don't you make a little effort to resolve that first. If you have other issues about Win10 then perhaps you should have mentioned them, or better still shouldn't have bought it in the first place. If you buy a system build without an OS you can then choose whatever OS is available for sale. But of course, as you know full well buying a system without an OS, then purchasing an OS separately is often more expensive than an OEM licence because it is usable when you change your system. OEM is not.

 

When this thread started, games were the only issue, but continued usage has shown other issues, so comments that I should have listed them earlier are not helpful. This was my first win 10 machine, so when purchased I was not aware of the possible issues, again this is not helpful.
You have posted some real solutions, why now the change of your posting comments?
I do appreciate the time effort you have invested, but lets not inject speculation, please.

 

OK cool. Win 10 is great much better than 7 or 8 but some users just can't get their head around it. Going back to 7 (let alone 8.1) is not something I would ever do.
I haven't changed my advice at all. If it was my system the first thing I'd do is resolve the games issue.
There was no speculation - it is and was all based on the information you gave.
For other aspects to Win 10 start a new thread and state them very clearly there.

 

My 15-5555 came configured as UEFI, GPT and with Win 8.1 Core (Single Language) OEM. I wanted Win 8.1 Pro INSTEAD of Win 8.1 Core AND to be able to multi-boot Win 7, 8.1 and 10. But, you don't want to multi-boot. You just want Win 7.

Sorry. Because of the UEFI embedded Product Key, UEFI and GPT, only running Win 7 may not be possible. For instance, you might purchase a Win 7 Ultimate Key, but if the OEM Win 10 is the Home version, Win 7 Home will be installed because of that UEFI embedded Product Key. This is what happened with Win 8.1 AND Win 10 on my Inspiron. I had to re-install the Win 8.1 Core OEM in order to be able to install 8.1 Pro AND 10 Pro.

Before re-installation of 8.1 Core though, I had to F2 into UEFI Setup at the POST screen, change from UEFI Boot to Legacy Boot, change Boot sequence so that USB and CD ROM were ahead of the hard drive, boot to a USB drive that had Windows installed on it, open Disk Management and delete all volumes on the internal hard drive, re-initialize the internal hard drive as MBR and create new partitions. THEN, I could proceed with re-installing Win 8.1 Core OEM and get the remaining versions of Windows I wanted installed.

You'd need to do pretty much the same AND your OEM Win 10 would need to be present before you installed Win 7. You'll be dual-booting whether you like it or not.

 

I haven't ever changed Boot sequence, is there a set of choices after F2?
I don't understand why once the format HDD and removing all the programs and volumes why this would be a dual boot.

 

If you don't understand UEFI or the product key association, then just don't waste your time or you'll end up with a pile of junk. All this because of a couple of games you could easily get to work.

 

The change from XP to Win 7 was easy, just put the installation disk in and run. Had this ben easy I would not have started a thread.

 

You are clutching at useless straws. Win 8 and 10 are totally different to all previous operating systems. What you could do XP to 7 is irrelevant.
Solve the games issue and stop wasting your time.
If there are other issues about Win 10 (which you haven't once mentioned in any detail) then start a new thread about that.

 

Sorry, bknight. I agree with Max on this. If you have problems with Win 10, start a new thread about them listing each one. You'll get help to resolve them.

What you were able to do with XP/7 doesn't apply to Win 10. With Win 8.0, Microsoft and computer manufacturers changed the way computers are set up at the factory including new and different chips on the mobo with different instructions and a different way of handling hard drives all in the name of increased security.

 

Not helpful.

It's a LATITUDE e5570 and came with Windows 10 pre-installed
http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/latitude-e5570-laptop/pd
The OP already said that in their opening post.

Installing 7 over that would be very clearly a total disaster because of the very different architecture used in Win 8 and 10.

Also, they don't at this time have a valid Win 7 product key to even consider doing that.

Dual booting Win 7 with 10 on that system is feasible but also very complex, as anyone doing it knows.

Reading the thread carefully, the principle initial reason was certain games not playing well. However, I have established they work well with Win 10 but the OP hasn't chosen yet, as far as the responses are concerned, to run their system through the Detection Tool on System Requirements Lab for those specific two games, or to seek help on those games forums.
The OP has intimated there are now other issues with Win 10 that they are not comfortable with but, again, they have not specified those issues.
In order to avoid diverting this thread again, it sounds better to wait for the OP to return.